Esteemed Colleague,

What's busier? The beginning of a new school year or the first weeks coming back from the winter holidays? Let us know here because all we know for sure is that both come with high energy and lots to do!

As we wrap up the first month of a new year, we're excited to share new blogs, core tools, and a throwback from last summer, where we recorded a four-part series on the power and necessity of distributed leadership.

Enjoy!

QUICK HITS

📖 5(ish)-minute reads for those in-between moments

FEATURED ARTICLE: Rethinking SAMR in the Age of AI (6-minute read)

"SAMR doesn’t just describe what kind of change technology introduces, it also needs to describe whether that change is constructive or destructive." ~Vriti Saraf, Nate McClennen, & Katie Martin

What an 8th-Grade Defense Taught Me About Competency-Based Learning (4-minute read)

"When I’m given the freedom to choose how I approach an assignment, the quality of my work improves; not because it’s easier, but because I’m invested." ~Maysa Dadmun

If No One Was Telling Us What To Do, What Would We Build? (4-minute read)

"Regardless of the institutional infrastructure in place, it is our responsibility to explore whether or not we’re ready to shift into a different mode of thinking, one that centers learners and learning by design." ~Devin Vodicka

TOOLS & RESOURCES

Bringing learner-centered practices to life

FEATURED RESOURCE: School Redesign Playbook (access here)

School Redesign is not about surface-level innovation. It’s about reimagining the purpose and design of school to align with the science of learning, human development, and the realities of today’s world. This playbook draws on Learner-Centered Collaborative’s work with schools and districts nationwide, highlighting communities that have redesigned school and learning in ways that reflect their unique contexts and aspirations.

STRATEGY OF THE MONTH: Let Students Make Decisions in Your Classroom
(access here)

In addition to making choices about their individual learning, students should be invited to engage in decisions that happen in their classrooms that affect them, their peers, and their educators. This is more than just listening to students’ opinions and taking that into consideration when making a decision as the adult in the classroom but instead is bringing students to the decision-making table in your classroom.

TRENDING COURSE: Authentic Learning Deep Dive (access here)

Learn how to anchor lessons in real-world issues, build cross-curricular connections, and empower learners to collaborate with peers and present to authentic audiences.